Chapter 146: News of the Exotic Fire

"Yan'er, as your father, I hope you can provide an explanation." Xiao Zhan squeezed his sandbag-sized fist and walked toward Xiao Yan step by step.

This brat was becoming increasingly unruly. Was the Xiao Clan unable to afford to raise him? Why was he running off to Jia Nan Academy for no reason?

The Black-Corner Region already had a disobedient Xiao Li; did this brat want to go and join his second brother's Xiao Sect as well?

Xiao Zhan wondered if there was something wrong with his family's upbringing; all three sons, one after another, wanted to run away. Were the Xiao Clan's external missions not stimulating enough?

(Xiao Clan members: "No, no, no, they are already very stimulating!")

"Hey, hey, hey, Father, please listen to my explanation!" Sensing the killing intent in the air and looking at the demonic shadow behind his father, Xiao Yan retreated continuously, holding his hands in front of him, and spoke hurriedly.

"Speak!" Short and forceful.

"Can I keep it a secret?" Xiao Yan blinked and said naively.

"Boom—" Xiao Zhan did not speak, and with an expressionless face, he delivered a fist of love to Xiao Yan.

A long while later, Xiao Zhan left calmly, leaving behind one sentence before he departed, "Fine, you know the rules anyway; go wherever you want!"

Leaving Xiao Yan slumped on the spot, twitching.

"Ouch, Father's hand was too heavy." After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xiao Yan sat up from the ground, clutching his head, and complained.

"Teacher, this time, for your sake, I have endured a price that I shouldn't have had to bear at my age. You must compensate me well." Xiao Yan grinned, saying with some pain.

"A price?" Yao Lao said unpleasantly, "It was just a beating, where is the price?"

"If it were just a beating, that would be fine, but there are also resources!" Xiao Yan said while clutching his chest in pain.

"Resources? What do you mean?" Yao Lao was still relatively unfamiliar with many of the Xiao Clan's rules and asked in confusion.

"My Xiao Clan has its own rules..." Xiao Yan then began to explain the Xiao Clan's rules to Yao Lao.

As it turned out, all Xiao Clan members were forcibly sent out of the family to execute missions or gain experience after their Adult Ceremony.

Of course, while it was called mandatory, most Xiao Clan members were very willing. Because all Xiao Clan members on external assignments received excellent benefits.

Even if they had to sleep in the open and endure hardships, it provided very good training for the individual, and the family would also provide a large amount of resource compensation.

At the same time, the Xiao Clan did not forbid Xiao Clan members from going out to train alone after reaching adulthood. Like Xiao Yan's two older brothers, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, they loved freedom and left the Xiao Clan as soon as they came of age.

Of course, there are gains and losses. Members who trained alone gained freedom, but their future cultivation resources had to be earned by themselves.

After all, the Xiao Clan could not allow family members to just hide in a remote place to cultivate while taking resources.

Since he wanted independence, he had to prove he was qualified to act alone; this was the reason for Xiao Yan's heartache.

It was full of money!

"This..." Yao Lao was also somewhat speechless. After spending so much time together, he was well-versed in some of the Xiao Clan's benefits; there really were quite a lot of them!

However...

"Look at your lack of ambition!" Yao Lao quickly adjusted and said with disdain, "A Second Grade Alchemist like you is afraid of lacking money?"

Well, after Yao Lao's training and Xiao Yan's own efforts, Xiao Huohuo had successfully advanced to a Second Grade Alchemist.

At the time of the test at the Alchemist Guild Wutan City Branch, it had attracted a large group of people's attention. Even in Yao Lao's eyes, the speed of breaking through to the Second Grade Alchemist realm within half a year was very shocking.

"Fine, everything you say is right, okay?" Xiao Yan hung his head, still feeling dejected about losing a large sum of funds for nothing.

If it were just money, that would be one thing, but the Xiao Clan's benefits were not just money!

There was no need to mention Medicinal Pills; with Yao Lao, this magic cat, by his side, he would not lack those.

But many of the precious Medicinal Herb resources in the Xiao Clan's benefits were hard to buy in the outside world, which was very annoying. For this reason, Xiao Yan had once specifically made a trip to the Mittal Auction House, and the result was...

Except for an exceptionally sexy Miss Ya Fei, everything else...

Bad review!

What Mittal Auction House, there wasn't a single good thing! The most valuable items were all things their Xiao Clan had sold.

"However, this is..." Xiao Yan took out a Scroll from his clothes; this was something he had secretly kept when Xiao Zhan was lecturing him earlier.

"Hmm? ~" Xiao Yan browsed through the contents of the Scroll, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"What's wrong, Little Yan, so excited? Did you take some pills?" Medicine Elder sensed the change in Xiao Yan's mood and teased.

"Go away, what 'take some pills', do I, your young master, need to take pills?" Xiao Yan said unpleasantly; Yao Lao's occasional lack of dignity as an elder always made Xiao Yan jump.

However, the latter did not pay too much attention and immediately said excitedly, "Teacher, the Exotic Fire has been located."

"What? Where is the Exotic Fire?" Upon hearing this, Yao Lao immediately became excited and asked repeatedly.

"The intelligence didn't say, it only introduced that the Tagor Desert seems to have traces of an Exotic Fire appearing," Xiao Yan said while looking at the contents of the Scroll.

The signature on the Scroll was Xiao Ding.

It was obvious that this intelligence had been sent by Xiao Ding. Back then, Xiao Yan had asked Xiao Zhan to help investigate news of the Exotic Fire.

Subsequently, Xiao Zhan issued this mission to the Xiao Clan members outside, asking them to keep an eye out, and Xiao Ding was one of them.

Xiao Yan was very familiar with his eldest brother's style; he was absolutely cautious, and the authenticity of the intelligence was beyond doubt.

"The Tagor Desert?" Medicine Elder muttered, then said happily, "Little Yan, it seems this Exotic Fire is destined for you!"

Huh? What does that mean?

Xiao Yan was very confused; did the Exotic Fire choose people?

"Do you know that the cultivation plan I formulated for you includes the route of crossing the Magical Beast Mountain Range and then entering the Tagor Desert? That place was meant to be visited," Yao Lao explained happily.

"Great, now I just have to wait two months to sign up for Jia Nan Academy. After that, I can ask for leave and cross the Magical Beast Mountain Range," Xiao Yan clenched his fists excitedly.

"Hmm, while there is still time, striving to break through to a Seven-Star Dou Zhe when Jia Nan Academy recruits is the right path!" Yao Lao instructed.

Although they didn't care about the so-called resources of Jia Nan Academy, showing more strength would naturally attract more attention and save a lot of trouble.

It had to be said, however, that Xiao Yan's current cultivation speed had been severely limited by the Burning Technique.

Half a year had passed, and even with the help of various auxiliary cultivation drugs prepared by Yao Lao, Xiao Yan's current cultivation was still just a "plain" Five-Star Dou Zhe; finding the Exotic Fire to evolve the Burning Technique was a matter of urgency.

At that time, the authenticity of the Burning Technique could be verified. Then, whether to continue cultivating it or specialize in other Cultivation Methods would be determined.

"Understood, Teacher!" Xiao Yan said firmly, a flash of heat in his eyes; Exotic Fire! Was he finally going to see it?